Claw clipping woes

[Sirrahsim]

I try to be a good cat Mommy, I feed my kitty the best food that we can reasonably afford, I keep the litter about 4 inches deep like he likes, I scoop the box as often as he wants me to, I give him regular cuddle and snuggle sessions, yet sadly that's not enough.. i also have to go about that terrible activity that is so familiar to so many cat owners: the claw clip. It's been a good month since i was actually able to snip all of his claws, and that was with my husband holding one end and me holding the other and clipping. Is there a trick to this? I don't think he would use a scratching post seeing as he had the tendenectomy done and can't voluntarily extend his claws. I tried tonight to trim his claws and was rewarded with a few lovely gashs in my thigh (teaches me to wear shorts while wrestling a ticked off feline ) There MUST be some secret that i just haven't heard about yet.

oh, by the way, it's not like it's a new thing to him, his humans have attempted to trim his claws for as long as i know about. He turns into a little terror anyway

[CatDad]

I don't have anything great to say, however there was a thread on this in cat behavior.

There were some pretty good suggestions in there. Hopefully, this will help.

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...ighlight=nails

I know that can be a pain, this is why I take mine to the vet. I know that is not always an option.

Good luck.

[jenluckenbach]

If you have the option of using 2 people, DO IT. Have one person hold by scruffing the neck skin with one hand and holding a foot or two with the other hand. Then the other person has both hands free to clip.

[PayItForward]

Originally posted by Sirrahsim
I don't think he would use a scratching post seeing as he had the tendenectomy done and can't voluntarily extend his claws. I tried tonight to trim his claws and was rewarded with a few lovely gashs in my thigh (teaches me to wear shorts while wrestling a ticked off feline ) There MUST be some secret that i just haven't heard about yet.

Sadly this might be a tendenectomy related problem. But I won't put my standard rant here, as the deed has already been done

-------------------------
Yes, you are right. Most cats will stretch and claw on posts to help remove the old claw layer, which your cat can not do.

Also it helps if you trim their claws from a young age.

I can trim Bramble & Tigs claws on my own (they need it as they have been inside for 6 months)

But with George, we have a different approach (who doesn't go out enough to keep his claws worn down naturally.)

My partner picks George up and stands up, I stand in front and with my partner cuddling George, I quickly trim each paws. Always starting with the fronts and don't forget the dew claw at the back on the leg.

Some people sneak up on a sleeping cat and trim away successfully.

Or you can even trim just one or two claws a day, until they are all done.

Basically keep trying different methods until you find the one that suits you.

[PayItForward]

Here is a link to a website describing trimming claws
http://www.caws.org/catclaws.html

[Sirrahsim]

thanks a lot for finding that thread for me CatDad, I've never really tried to do a search for something I did take some advice that was on there and tried out a Boomer burrito. I wrapped that little sucker up in a towel and had my husband hold him, worked like a charm He was so mad at me when it was all over though, that he even snuggled up against my husband for a little while and gave me dirty looks!! (he almost NEVER snuggles with my hunny!!) and PayItForward, I know that the opinions towards declawing vs. post training and such vary greatly. I also have not really taken the time to think it through. When we got Boomer, he had already had the surgery and had he not had it done already, we would have had to put him through it anyway. sadly 'tis not our choice over here, the powers that be decreed that all kitties have to be declawed or they're not adopted out. Before joining PT, I just assumed that if I ever got a cat, we would get him/her declawed, thatwas just the normal thing to do in my mind. Now that my eyes have been opened up a little by what I have read here, I must say that If/when we adopt our next kitten, I will make all efforts to train him/her to a scratching post and let the sweet thing keep its claws. Boomer can still stretch out his paws by somehow digging his front paws into the carpet, he seems to be especially adept at this when i'm trying to remove him from, say, under one of our chairs where he KNOWS he's not allowed to be I'm not arguing that he has full range of stretch or anything, just that he makes do with what he has quite effectively. I also must admit that if declawing is the only thing that is keeping a cat cooped up in a cage or on the road to being PTS, I would have it done in an only slightly guilty heartbeat. thanks for your input

[PayItForward]

As I said, I do have strong opinions on this issue (you will find most people outside USA feel the same way) but I am so pleased that Pet Talk has given you enough information, to change your mind.

It really lightens my heart when people decide to post train future kitties, rather than automatically declawing.

Adopting a cat like Boomer is the other sensible solution, i.e. adopting an already declawed kitty. You can see if the operation has had any side effects, before you adopt.

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

WHEN you get another cat (or kitten) (I say WHEN as PT has that effect on people ), whenever the cat is relaxing in your lap. hold and massage it's paws. That way, it will be more relaxed, and will not associate having it's claws clipped with you touching its paws. (I have done that with Ally since I found her, and I usually manage to clip all four feet in one session, although she is a fidget! Connor just lies on his back and lets me do it, which is funny because when they clipped him at the shelter he took their skin off!

[amoore]

I would not attemp to trim my sunnys claws he has the largest claws i have ever saw on a cat ! I have scars to prove it ! HE is a sweet cat that accidently claws me when he jumps into my lapp , but if he clawed me in anger ,i would be in trouble !He would never trust me again !I would have to drug him to trim his nails,I dont like drugging cats at all! He has such small teeth he has to have me cut his chicken in to small pieces , so he can eat it , so his teeth is not scarry . He killed creatures when he had out door privilledges ,but could not eat them . He almost died from playing with rattle snakes,so he got his day time outdoor priviledges taken away. He did that twice !I sit up several nights thinking i was watching him die.I thought I was dying too.
As far as declawing ,i don't like that either after reading http://petplace.com but I think if it endangers other creatures life that you love in your home, then it changes things . Get mad and rant at me , but sometimes people have other babies in their house Too. Sunny is not declawed , but I will if it comes to the life of another creature in my home .

[sirrahbed]

The "burrito wrap" is my favorite way of dealing with a cat that will not cooperate. It also works great for a bath!! You just wrap them firmly in the towel, arms down into a neat package. I lower the whole burrito into a warm tub and they just totally *relax*. It works for giving pills, too.

[Felicia's Mom]

The first time that I clipped Felicia's claws, I clipped one too short. Since then, she puts up such a fuss that I have it done at the vet's.

Beau's I can do myself. I don't do them all at once though; fronts at on setting, backs at another.